Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a through-type multilayer ceramic capacitor.
Description of the Related Art
In relation to the aforementioned through-type multilayer ceramic capacitor, Patent Literature 1 cited below discloses the through-type ceramic capacitor 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as “through-type capacitor 100”) shown in FIG. 1.
This through-type capacitor 100 forms a roughly rectangular solid shape meeting the condition “length L11>width W11>height H11,” and has: a capacitor body 101 of roughly rectangular solid shape specified by a length, width, and height that are slightly smaller than length L11, width W11, and height H11, respectively; a first external electrode 102 provided on one end of the capacitor body 101 in the length direction; a second external electrode 103 provided on the other end of the capacitor body 101 in the length direction; a third external electrode 104 provided roughly at the center of the capacitor body 101 on one end in the width direction; and a fourth external electrode 105 provided roughly at the center of the capacitor body 101 on the other end in the width direction.
Also provided in the capacitor body 101 is a capacitive part in which multiple first internal electrode layers (not illustrated) and multiple second internal electrode layers (not illustrated) are stacked together alternately in the height direction with dielectric layers (not illustrated) in between. One ends of the multiple first internal electrode layers are connected to the first external electrode 102 and the other ends are connected to the second external electrode 103, while one ends of the multiple second internal electrode layers are connected to the third external electrode 104 and the other ends are connected to the fourth external electrode 105.
Demand for size reduction and thickness reduction still persists in the field of through-type multilayer ceramic capacitors of this type, and particularly regarding thickness reduction, concerns remain as to the strength of the capacitor when it is installed on a circuit board. This is explained below using FIG. 1.
The conventional through-type capacitor 100 shown in FIG. 1 is generally picked up in a component feeding area by a pickup nozzle at or near the center of one side or the other side in the height direction (refer to the + mark in (A) in FIG. 1), after which the picked-up capacitor is transferred and then installed on a circuit board, such as a circuit board permitting surface mounting (component mounting board), circuit board permitting surface mounting and internal mounting (component embedding board), or the like.
However, since the conventional through-type capacitor 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a structure whereby a load is applied directly to the capacitor body 101 from the pickup nozzle at the time of the installation, there are concerns that this load may cause the capacitor body 101 to generate cracks. These cracks, no matter how large or small, allow moisture to enter the capacitor body 101, which increases the probability of the first internal electrode layers and second internal electrode layers corroding due to the moisture that has entered and thereby suffering capability deterioration, while it also increases the probability of the first internal electrode layers and second internal electrode layers shorting to one another to cause functional impairment.
[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2008-294298